During the past decade, there has been an explosion of interest in physical activity as both a pastime and a means of acquiring and maintaining good health. Much of the current interest in exercise and other similar activities is based on the recent findings that correlate longevity with active lifestyles. Pursuant to this increased awareness, a corresponding increase in the variety of exercise activities has spawned a plethora of new businesses focused on servicing the needs of this new market.
Unfortunately, many of the most popular new activities engendered more physical damage than they prevented. For example, jogging on hard concrete is now cited as a significant cause for knee damage and other physical ailments related to joints and limbs. In response, many have sought exercise activities without the corresponding potential of injury.
It has long been recognized that swimming combines a rigorous workout with little associated stress on the limbs and joints, as the normal swim routine encounters few shocks. In fact, many health care professionals have recommended swimming to patients as both a form of exercise and therapy for repairing damaged joints. Such therapy can range from a mild workout for a stiff back, to specific limited movements at restricted water depths for seriously injured patients. In the latter situation, conventional swimming strokes are normally out of the question in view of the patient's condition. In such instances, the patient performs certain movements to concentrate the workout on a specific muscle group, such as the arms.
To increase the level of the workout in an aquatic environment, past devices have been designed to increase flow resistance during the desired motion. For example U.S. Pat. No. 4,509,744 discloses a aquatic exerciser for exercising the arms in water. In essence, the device is a paddle with a hand grip. A similar device is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,632,387 which shows a paddle structure with adjustable windows for regulating the flow of water therethrough when in use. As can be recognized, the flat paddle type aquatic exerciser is strictly limited to a narrow range of exercise motions, solely involving the hand and arms. A foot paddle device is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,565,369 that provides a plurality of adjustable panels for the exercise of the legs but, again restricted to a narrow range of movement directions. A barbell type device is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,623,142 which again is used to increase flow resistance while "lifting weights" in an aquatic environment.
Although the prior art devices provide for different types of aquatic exercise beyond mere swimming, they all suffer from specific drawbacks that act to limit their usefulness. More particularly, the prior devices are restricted in both form of exercise and degree of motion. This inhibits the exercise routines available in the aquatic environment to a specific subset, precluding a variety of movements. The user's efforts are focused on a select few muscles with associated fatigue and boredom acting to limit the effectiveness of the exercise.
It was with this understanding of the problems of the prior art devices that the present invention was developed.